Saturday, December 3, 2011

Incoming Books ~ December 3rd, 2011

Welcome to our ~ Incoming Books ~ feature, December 3rd, 2011!

As you will see we have some great books here all “lit up” within this post for your perusal and enjoyment – with book covers, publishing dates and truncated blurbs so you can choose one or more to imagine reading when we ask all you book lovers the “question of the day”: Which of these books would you read first?

Dark Victory ~ by Michele Lang; Tor Books; Jan, 2012; Historical Fantasy; Magda Lazarus was a reluctant witch until the dire threat of Nazi Germany convinced her to assume the mantle of her family’s ancient powers. But though this young, beautiful Jewish woman has fought off Hitler’s SS werewolves and the demon who would rule through the Führer, she has been unable to prevent the outbreak of World War II.

Eyes Like Leaves ~ by Charles de Lint; Tachyon Publications; Feb 2012; An epic fantasy which departs from the author’s traditional modern fantasy and weaves elements of Celtic and Nordic mythology while bringing sword and sorcery to the forefront.

Summer magic is waning in the Green Isles, and the evil Icelord is encasing the lands in a permanent frost while coastal towns are pillaged by snake ships. Mounting one last defense against the onslaught, a mysterious old wizard instructs his inexperienced apprentice in the art of shape-changing. Time is running short for the Summerborn, especially when a treacherous family betrayal is discovered.

Well-Tempered Clavicle ~ by Piers Anthony; Tor Books, November 2011; A humorous epic fantasy which is the 35th in the 37 book series and can be read as a stand alone.

Picka Bones and his sister Joy’nt are off in search of adventure with three creatures newly arrived from Mundania--and not the sort of creatures you might expect! Join them in a madcap quest, in this 35th tale of the land of Xanth.

Enter the world of Xanth, where every citizen has their own unique Talent—or magical ability—and centaurs, demons and dragons abound.

Antiquitas Lost ~ By Robert Louis Smith; Medlock Publishing; October 2011; Young Adult Epic Fantasy; Peppered with more than seventy eye-popping illustrations by Marvel Comics legend Geof Isherwood this epic fantasy tale tells the story of a boy named Elliott, a lonesome kid with deformities on his hands and feet who is uprooted from his home after his mother falls gravely ill. While checking out some eerie old paintings and strange relics in the basement, Elliott strays through an ancient doorway into a tumultuous parallel world, full of bizarre creatures and warring races.

To the right you can see some of the artwork which is included in this text filled book. Incredible I think.

Bed Bugs: a novel ~ by Ben H. Wilson; Random House Inc; Sep 2011; Horror; Susan and Alex Wendt have found their dream apartment. Susan soon discovers that her new home is crawling with bedbugs . . . or is it? She awakens every morning with fresh bites, but neither Alex nor their daughter Emma has a single welt. An exterminator searches the property and turns up nothing. Susan fears she’s going mad—until a more sinister explanation presents itself: she may literally be confronting the bedbug problem from Hell.

Half in Love ~ by Linda Gray Sexton; Counterpoint; January 2011; Memoir; Despite experiencing the agony of witnessing her mother’s multiple suicide attempts, the last of which was successful, Linda Gray Sexton found herself gripped by the same strong tentacles of mental anguish. Falling into the familiar grooves of her mother’s relentless depression, but unlike her mother, hers is a story of triumph. Through the help of family, therapy, and medicine, Sexton confronted deep-seated issues, outlived her mother, and curbed the haunting cycle of suicide she once seemed destined to inherit.

Buried (#2 Serenity Series)~ by Marissa Farrar; Paranormal Vampire Romance; Four years after the horrific murder of her husband, Serenity is living a new life and finally putting the terrifying events behind her. Though a stronger person, her heart still craves the vampire who gave her the strength to change her life. But rumors are abound of something unnatural existing, something with the strength of a vampire but that can walk in the light...

Alone (#1) I just loved the first in this romantic vampire tale with its cover linking to Shellie’s review.

These two books by an indie author can be purchased at Smashwords.

Fables for Japan ~ various authors; 2011; Graphic Novel, Poems, Fables; This is the first in a trilogy; the second book is scheduled for released soon and the third to be published in 2012. All proceeds go to the Red Cross in the effort to help Japan in its recovery from recent catastrophic events.

The Black Shard ~ by Victoria Simcox; December 2011. Two Harbors Press; October 2011; Tween Fantasy; Kristina’s stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least. When Hester’s cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it sends them back to the magical land of Bernovem.

A Ghost at Stallion’s Gate ~ by Elizabeth Egan-Cox; Cambridge Books; November 2011; Historical Mystery; Shannon Delaney gets caught up in a web of deception, intrigue and a ghostly haunting as she delves into a cold-case mystery from Hollywood’s glamorous decade of the 1920s.

Book #4 in this mystery series can be read as a stand alone.

In the Lion's Mouth ~ by Michael Flynn; Tor Books, January 2012; Science Fiction; A complex space opera with a Celtic flare set in the colonized planets of the far future world of the Spiral Arm. It chronicles the adventures of Donovan buigh, a scarred amnesiac whose mind has been shattered into more than ten quarreling personalities by Those of Name—the rulers of the Confederation of Central Worlds.

Book #3 in this space opera series can be read as a stand alone.

Fleet of Worlds ~ by Larry Niven and Eward M. Lerner; Tor Books; November 2011; Science Fiction; Taking a closer look at the Human-Puppeteer (Citizens) relations and the events leading up to Niven's first Ringworld novel. Set 200 years before the discovery of the Ringworld.

Kirsten Quinn-Kovacs is among the best and brightest of her people. She gratefully serves the gentle race that rescued her ancestors from a dying starship, gave them a world, and nurtures them still. If only the Citizens knew where Kirsten’s people came from….

If you find a book you would like to purchase please do so at your local independent book store. Most do special orders if they do not have them in stock. Help keep these stores open and the money in your local communities.

Now we ask the “best-ish book-ish question for the day”: Which one (or more) from this collection of interesting books would you pick up and read first?

Wow, I can't believe Anthony is still writing those Xanth books. I used to love them when I was younger (and Xanth is still my favorite fantasy world) but I stopped reading them when they became a little too raunchy for my taste.

Simcha -Number 35 is very impressive and I will have to say that raunchy is not a good thing in my book.... oh dear... I am wondering what happened? Was the series started for young adults and as they got older things got a bit racy?